Does the Day of the Week or the Time of Day Affect the Length of Stay or Readmission Rate for Pediatric Orthopedic Admissions?

PURPOSE: Health care institutions are searching for system-wide approaches to reduce costs while maintaining quality and improving patient outcomes. Hospital length of stay (LOS) and readmission rate (RR) are variables that significantly impact health care costs. This investigation aimed to determine if there was a difference in the LOS and the RR for pediatric orthopedic patients admitted overnight or during the weekend. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed 243 admissions for pediatric orthopedic surgery cases between September 2016 and August 2018 at a single-specialty orthopedic hospital. We categorized admissions into elective surgeries, infectious etiologies, and trauma and accidents. We compared the time and day of the week of admission to the average LOS and RR. RESULTS: The mean LOS of the entire cohort was 2.93 days. The mean LOS for trauma admissions was 1.90 days, the mean LOS for elective surgeries was 3.34 days, and the mean LOS for infections was 4.11 (p = 0.00009). The mean LOS for patients admitted on a weekday was 3.00 days; the mean LOS for patients admitted on the weekend was 2.33 days (p = 0.28). The mean LOS for patients admitted between 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM was 3.12 days, and the mean LOS for patients admitted between 6:00 PM and 6:00 AM was 2.66 days (p = 0.22). The mean LOS for patients admitted during regular operating hours was 3.12 days, and the mean LOS for patients admitted during off-hours was 2.67 days (p = 0.22). The mean RR for trauma admissions was 0.0%, the mean RR for elective surgeries was 4.5%, and the mean for infections was 3.7% (p = 0.1073). The mean RR for patients admitted on a weekday was 3.2%, and the mean RR for patients admitted on the weekend was 0.0% (p = 0.37). The mean RR for patients admitted between 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM was 4.2%, and the mean RR for patients admitted between 6:00 PM and 6:00 AM was 1.0% (p = 0.15). The mean RR for patients admitted during regular operating hours was 4.2%, and the mean RR for patients admitted during off-hours was 1.0% (p = 0.14). CONCLUSION: This study showed no relationship between the day or time of admission and the LOS or RR for pediatric orthopedic admissions. Our results support the institutional goal of maintaining operations overnight and on weekends while not compromising patient outcomes.

Female patient with bilateral distal biceps tendon reconstruction: A case report.

This is a case of a 57-year-old healthy woman with traumatic bilateral distal biceps tendon rupture with tendon retraction requiring reconstruction. The functional outcomes were recorded pre-operatively and at 3 months, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years postoperatively. Conclusion: Distal biceps tendon rupture usually occurs in male patients; however, this injury may occur in females. Delay in treatment may result in tendon degeneration precluding repair. Distal biceps tendon reconstruction with Achilles allograft yielded favorable outcome in a middle-aged female patient who sustained bilateral distal biceps tendon rupture.

Current and Future Advanced Imaging Modalities for the Diagnosis of Early Osteoarthritis of the Hip.

Hip osteoarthritis (OA) can be idiopathic or develop secondary to structural joint abnormalities of the hip joint (alteration of normal anatomy) and/or due to a systemic condition with joint involvement. Early osteoarthritic changes to the hip can be completely asymptomatic or may cause the development hip symptomatology without evidence of OA on radiographs. Delaying the progression of hip OA is critical due to the significant impact of this condition on the patient's quality of life. Pre-OA of the hip is a newly established term that is often described as the development of signs and symptoms of degenerative hip disease but no radiographic evidence of OA. Advanced imaging methods can help to diagnose pre-OA of the hip in patients with hip pain and normal radiographs or aid in the surveillance of asymptomatic patients with an underlying hip diagnosis that is known to increase the risk of early OA of the hip. These methods include the delayed gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of cartilage (dGEMRIC), quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (qMRI- T1rho, T2, and T2* relaxation time mapping), 7-Tesla MRI, computed tomography (CT), and optical coherence tomography (OCT). dGEMRIC proved to be a reliable and accurate modality though it is limited by the significant time necessary for contrast washout between scans. This disadvantage is potentially overcome by T2 weighted MRIs, which do not require contrast. 7-Tesla MRI is a promising development for enhanced imaging resolution compared to 1.5 and 3T MRIs. This technique does require additional optimization and development prior to widespread clinical use. The purpose of this review was to summarize the results of translational and clinical studies investigating the utilization of the above-mentioned imaging modalities to diagnose hip pre-OA, with special focus on recent research evaluating their implementation into clinical practice.